The Savior's Instructions About the Holy Ghost

                                                                                                                             
In this life as we learn, grow, and work our way towards returning to our Heavenly Father's presence, the Lord has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us through our journey. This third member of the Godhead is key for us to gain a true testimony of Jesus Christ and his dealings with men on Earth. In Jesus Christ's Earthly ministry he taught about the Holy Ghost. Here are some of the things that he taught:

• John 14:15-17 - Not only does the Holy Ghost teach us absolute truths, it is also a comforter. When we have a troubled heart, the Spirit can bring comforter to our souls and speak peace to our minds. 
• John 14:26-27 - Along with teaching us all things, the Holy Ghost can also bring to our remembrance the things that we have learned. 
• John 15:26-27 - The Holy Ghost testifies to us Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to our souls. 
• John 16:7-8 - Jesus Christ sent the Holy Ghost to us.
• John 16:13-14 - The Holy Ghost will not teach of himself, but he will teach us of things to come and things at present. The Holy Ghost will glorify the Lord.

The Holy Ghost, which is a personage of spirit in the likeness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, is such a wonderful gift and important tool for us to use as we struggle to become more like the Savior. Although we can only receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism, it can manifest itself unto us before baptism to help us gain a testimony and a desire to be baptized. As the twelve apostles taught of Christ after the Savior's death, they taught by the power of the Holy Ghost and many felt it's burning witness. However, even though we have been given this great gift after baptism, we can only enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost when we are striving to choose the right and are not partaking in activities that are not in accordance with the commandments of God.
This is one of the many struggles that we face as we combat the natural man and Satan who wishes to destroy us. Unfortunately I make mistakes and am not always worth to have the Holy Ghost's companionship. But, I try my best to repent when I make mistakes and seek for the companionship of the Holy Ghost. It's all part of learning right from wrong in this life. Hopefully we will reach that point where we will always be worthy of the Holy Ghost's companionship.
The Holy Ghost has comforted me so many times in my life and I have come to lean on the Spirit's power when I am going through hard times. Especially the last two years as I have been going through that stage of life where you graduate high school, start college, and are deciding the direction of your life. I have a strong testimony that the Holy Ghost is real and that it can be one of the most important companions that we can ever have in this life. Recently I have been called to serve as a missionary in the Philippines and I know that as I serve, I will be blessed by the Spirit, and I will see it bless the lives of those around me. I hope that whoever reads this will seek out the Spirit if they haven't already and let the Holy Ghost bring light into their life.

                                                                                                           

A New Commandment

          In John 13: 34-35 the Savior speaks to his disciples about a new commandment saying: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." For something so simply stated, this has a pretty profound meaning to it. When we love one another, we are able to look past another person's faults and see them as a child of God.
          The savior goes on to say in verse 35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." When we have love for our fellow man, it not only means that we are learning a Christ-like attribute, it also means that we are following at least the majority of the ten commandments. When you look at the ten commandments outlined in Exodus 20, you will be able to categorize the commandments into two categories. The first would be loving the Lord above everything else, which is the greatest of all the commandments of God. The second category would be under "Love they neighbor as thyself." (Both of which the Savior discussed in Mark 12: 29-31.) This is why the Savior taught that this is how we will be recognized as the Lord's disciples.
          So Basically, our actions will show our faith in Jesus Christ. For example, If a person who had a strong testimony saw that someone they knew was being made fun of, they would go and defend that person and help the person to feel good about their self. Or If that same person saw a new person at church they would go introduce their self to the person and help the person to feel welcomed. As someone who tries to follow God's teachings, I certainly try to do these things, no matter who it is. I think it's important to not judge other people. Otherwise it means that we are not truly loving our neighbor. This is a video I found that I think does a good job at illustrating how we can often act in our dealings with our fellow man and what we miss out on:
                                                                                                               

Preparing for the Savior's Second Coming

For this weeks blog entry I would like to talk about preparing for the second coming. In the New Testament of the bible, in Mark 13, the Savior talks about many things that we can watch for to let us know that the second coming is close and things that can help us prepare for the second coming. Here are some of those things that the Savior taught, indicated by verse:

• V. 5 - We should watch out for false Christs who would try to make us believe that they are the real Messiah even though they aren't even close.
• V. 9 - We should watch for moments where our testimonies will be scrutinized and we should be ready to stand firm in our beliefs. 
• V. 23 - We can watch for the events and calamities that will take place all over the world that we have been told are the signs of the second coming. 
• V. 33 - We can not only watch for all these things, but we can pray for guidance and strength so that we may be ready for the second coming. 

The things told in Mark 13 are all true, but they are not the only place in the scriptures where we have been told as to what we should do and what we should watch out for. Here are some scriptures that can relate to the verses in Mark 13 and also shed more light on the subject.

• Doctrine and Covenants 87: 8 - This verse tells us that we should stand in holy places, meaning we shouldn't be partaking in activities or doing things that would go against the Lord's commandments. 
• JS Matthew 1:32 - This verse tells of the coming destruction of the wicked.
• JS Matthew 1:37 - This scriptures tells us that we should treasure Gods words and study them so that we won't be deceived. 
• JS Matthew 1:46-50 - These verses tell us that we should be always trying to prepare for the second coming and be furthering the work of the Lord. 
• Doctrine and Covenants 33:17 - This verse, just like verse 33 of Mark 13, tells us that we should pray often and be faithful.
• Doctrine and Covenants 45:56-57 - These scriptures reference the parable of the ten virgins and they tell us that we will be blessed if we receive his gospel and accept the Holy Ghost as our guide. 

As I go throughout each day, I try to live by the commandments that the Lord has given us. I recognize that the Savior could come at any time and I want to be ready for his coming. There are definitely times when I slip up and make mistakes, but that's part of being human. When I make mistakes I repent of those mistakes and try not to do them again. I know that if it weren't for the plan of Salvation and what Jesus did for me, I would be a goner for sure.  As we move closer to the second coming the world is becoming worse, and it is becoming harder for us to strive for perfection. However, I know that If I can endure to the end, the blessings that I will receive will be far greater than any temporal thing that I can receive in this life.